town in Virginia
Honey bee forage in Cheriton, Virginia
Estimated forage here is better than about 100% of sites in Virginia. Against other Virginia sites it stands out most in summer (100th percentile) and lowest in fall (31st). Biggest nearby bee crops: rapeseed (right here, grown 1 of the last 5 years); soybeans (right here, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.4 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Cheriton?
- First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: May 16 to Jul 31, peaking early Jun (soybeans)
- Season ends: Aug 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Cheriton, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on Apr 5.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, rape Seed, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): cotton, garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, rape Seed, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Rapeseed: about 14 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi NW, blooms late Mar – early May (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 178 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NE, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
From USDA's crop maps for 2021–2025; fields rotate, so a crop counts by how often it was grown. Listing a field says nothing about its owner.
The land and water around Cheriton
Mostly: Open water; Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest; Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.03 mi SE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.21 mi SW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Sweet Corn: insecticides used on about 44% of surveyed US acres (2024). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Cheriton ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 97th | 96th | 89th | 18th |
| Virginia | 100th | 99th | 100th | 31st |
| Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain | 99th | 97th | 94th | 47th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 32% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.
The national forage map around Cheriton: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Cape Charles 4 mi · Eastville 4 mi · Franktown 14 mi · Nassawadox 14 mi · Willis Wharf 18 mi · Exmore 18 mi
All towns in Virginia · National map · How the scoring works
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Cheriton (37.2944, -75.9655); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.